During cigarette manufacturing, long rolls of paper provided on spools or bobbins are used and processed to form the cigarettes. The cigarettes use substantial amounts of the paper as a wrapper, to enclose filter tow material as filters, and to tip filters onto columns of wrapped tobacco. The various manufacturing functions that are performed to the paper can include perforation, either mechanically or by thermal energy transfer (e.g. focused laser energy), printing, embossing, slitting, or other comparable functions on the paper or other flexible webs of material. The following patents are directed to various aspects of these manufacturing functions, and are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,226,527; 3,965,327; 4,121,595; 4,265,254; 4,404,454; 5,210,390; 5,259,401; 5,341,824; and 5,367,144.
In performing manufacturing functions such as perforation of the paper used in making the cigarettes, the rolls of paper are generally unwound from bobbins or spindles of the paper, the perforation process is performed upon the paper, and a new bobbin or spindle is formed by winding the processed paper on a new, hollow bobbin core. The paper is unwound from one bobbin, processed by undergoing various operations such as perforation, and then rewound onto another bobbin at very high rates of speed. The very high rates of speed at which paper is processed, up to 1525 meters per minute or 5000 feet per minute during these manufacturing operations, requires the use of high speed analog and digital controls that can synchronize the movement of the paper with operations such as laser perforation that are being performed on the moving paper. U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,278, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a method and apparatus for reducing the amount of waste that can result during the startup of a web of paper in high-speed manufacturing processes which involve laser perforation or other processes.